


She Had The World

by believe_in_alderaan



Series: JFO Extended Drama [5]
Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Cal kestis whump, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21599509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/believe_in_alderaan/pseuds/believe_in_alderaan
Summary: “What would Jaro Tapal say?”“You have no right to mention his name!” Cal bellowed, his resolve returning.“I wonder,” Trilla continued, unswayed. “What would he think if he could see his padawan now?” She reached out once again with the force, grabbing Cal by the neck and pulling him to the gate so that her face was an inch from his. He struggled. “Skulking around in the shadows with a betrayer, gaining her access to a legion… of impressionable students.” She closed tighter on his airway, keeping his eyes level with hers.---The moment Cal finds out who the Second Sister is needed more... feeling.
Series: JFO Extended Drama [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551049
Comments: 4
Kudos: 86





	She Had The World

“I noticed it earlier, this feeling in the pit of my stomach,” Cal said to BD-1 as their elevator descended. They had been galavanting all over Zeffo again, looking for another tomb. Since arriving on the planet this time he had a sort of… darkened… feeling come over him. They were finally close to the missing tomb, but something felt off. “At first I thought it was Greez’s cooking.”

“Boop!” BD-1 seemed to be almost laughing. Cal smirked.

“Now it’s getting stronger. I think the closer we get, the worse I feel.” 

Cal was still shaken from the echo’s he’d discovered on the crashed venator starship. There had been a padawan like himself who had lost everything… and then himself. Cal’s insides were twisted in knots while he tried to ignore his own memories

“Boo be-boop bee?” BD-1 pressed, snapping Cal out of his thoughts.

“It can’t mean anything good,” Cal sighed. 

Their ride had finally ended. Cal and BD-1 disembarked. A hollow feeling washed over Cal and he stopped in his tracks, hands on his head. 

“Beeeep?” BD-1 squealed.

“No, I’m okay buddy. I’m sorry… it’s just... hard to be here,” Cal said breathlessly. He wiped the sweat from his brow. They’d been going non-stop, following Cordova’s trail. Sure, he’d eaten and gotten a little bit of sleep, but the emotional toll was canceling those things out and he was starting to really feel the effects.

Cal found another elevator for BD-1 to slice. As they descended even deeper, the hollow feeling hit him again. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing through the pain. The elevator doors opened, and there stood the Second Sister.

Cal felt his blood turn to ice. He connected the dots. She was the feeling he had had. How had he missed her presence in the force?

“Cal Kestis,” she crooned. Cal furrowed his brow. _How does she know?_ She stood like a lioness who had finally cornered her prey. “How predictable.”

Cal could feel BD-1 taking a tighter hold on him. The gesture helped calm his nerves as he assumed his fighting stance. He knew he would have to fight her, and he was determined to get out of this alive.

“Oh yes, I know your name,” the Second Sister continued. She began to pace around Cal, slowly. “Your past… and most importantly… about Cordova.” She was facing away from him now. “Tell me, where did he hide the holocron?”  
  


Cal swallowed hard. Somehow she knew everything. His thoughts went back to Cere and Greez. Could one of them have betrayed him? No.. that wasn’t possible. He felt anger bubbling to the surface. He wasn’t about to let her strike first. He ignited his saber.

“Outstanding!” Second hissed, igniting her own. She lept, almost like she had vanished from one spot and appeared right in front of Cal. He took a step backward, but her foot found his chest and he was knocked onto his rear.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Second Sister teased, swinging her lightsaber around like a dance. “My my, is that a hint of anger I see?”

Cal stood, preparing again. The inquisitor lunged, her saber aimed at his neck. He blocked with ease and pushed her to the side. 

“What’s the matter, padawan?” she teased him again. She seemed to be taking her time, relishing in his fear. 

Cal reached out with the force, pushing the inquisitor off her feet. She caught herself with ease and returned the blow. Cal was thrown backward, hitting hard against the rock wall. 

“Is that all?” Cal retorted. He was on his knees, and spat blood onto the floor.

“Feisty, aren’t we,” Second responded. “You bleed like all the others!” She seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. She brought her saber down at Cal’s head, and he crossed his blade with hers. The angry hissing of the sabers drowned out the inquisitor’s hearty laughs.

Cal refused to give in to her taunts. He channeled his fury into his blows, and managed to damage the inquisitor’s helmet slightly. 

“No wonder your master died,” Second Sister panted, clearly pleased with his fatigue. “Well, no matter. You’ll be with your master soon.” She lept, her saber raised. Cal made a move to get out of the way, but her blade found its mark, swiping at and severely burning Cal’s left arm.

Cal choked back a scream. His adrenaline was waning due to the pain. BD-1 chirped and implanted a stim-shot into Cal’s back without prompting. “Thanks,” he grunted.

The inquisitor stood back, watching Cal struggle back onto his feet. He couldn’t see her face due to her helmet, but he could feel her piercing eyes on him. It felt almost like she had a hunger for him, or at least for his blood. She threw herself at Cal again, taking a swipe at his head. He barely ducked, but her boot found his stomach. “Oof!” came the involuntary sound from his lips.

“I’m the superior fighter,” the Second Sister cooed. She held out her hand, grabbing Cal with the force. He couldn’t move and he was being raised off the ground, his feet dangling helplessly. His limbs shook as he tried to keep hold of his lightsaber. Second laughed and threw Cal backward through some old fencing. He crashed through the weakened metal, landing hard on his back. 

It felt like time was slowing down. Cal was only able to get onto his elbows, the world swimming in front of his eyes. The angry red saber was coming for him again, and was about to be brought down on his head. Cal lifted a hand toward the attack, mustering all of his strength.

A laser-gate crackled to life, blocking the inquisitor’s advance. Eyes wide, Cal looked over and saw that his faithful droid had overcharged the doorway to protect him. 

Cal scrambled to his feet. Undaunted, Second put clipped her saber and reached out her hand, snagging Cal by the throat with the force. 

“Ghgh… no!” Cal managed to shout as he struggled. “No no NO!” He broke himself free, pushing the inquisitor back. She stood her ground, and instead reached out to grab a crate near Cal. The metal box smashed into his back and left him laying on his stomach, gasping from the pain. He opened one eye and reached out, pushing Second Sister backward. She rolled easily and got back to her feet.

“You’re learning,” the inquisitor said thoughtfully, pacing from side to side. She had stopped her attack. “Not quite as gifted as Cere’s last apprentice but not bad.

“You’ve been keeping count,” Cal spat as he stood. He could feel warm blood running down the back of his neck from the crate hitting him.

“I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. Cere was never good at keeping secrets.” 

Cal took a step backward, not taking his eyes off his enemy. “And you know her so well, huh?” he questioned.

The inquisitor laughed. “She was weak. Cracked in an imperial torture chair. Surrendered the location of her naive padawan. They would have never found me,” she paused and put her hands on her helmet.

Cal didn’t know what he expected when her face was revealed. Before this moment, she’d seemed almost like a droid, cold and unfeeling. Now he was looking into her sunken, burning eyes. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly, her hair greasy and unkempt. 

“If it wasn’t for her,” she finished, returning Cal’s stare. A slight smile curved on her lips. “She betrayed me.”

Cal couldn’t hide his surprise. “You’re Trilla,” he said quietly. He walked up to the lasergate until he was almost note-to-nose with her. She narrowed her eyes, almost as if inviting him to the otherside of the barrier. He felt a slight pull toward her, and it scared him.

“I won’t let you manipulate me,” Cal turned to get away.

“So sure are you?” Trilla asked calmly. “When forced with the choice to protect herself or her padwan, she chose self-interest. She’ll sell you out, too.” The words spilled from her mouth like venom.

Cal turned back to her. “Well, I can handle myself,” he said with as much confidence as he could muster. Inside he was feeling twisted, almost like something else was calling to him. The darkside…

“Can you afford to take that change?” Trilla offered, getting closer to the lasers. “Your new master harbors great darkness. The look on her face when she saw what they had done to me, as I am now.” She shook her head slightly, and did not break her focus on Cal. “She turned, exposing her true nature. She used… the dark side.”

“She cut herself off from the force,” Cal retorted, hardly believing what he was being told. 

“Oh?” Trilla said with mock surprise. “How long before she cracks and betrays you too? Is that who you want beside you when you find the holocron?”

Cal watched her move from side to side. He felt strangely drawn to her. His entire being was being questioned as he listened to her speak. He’d never encountered anybody like this, and he was wholly unprepared.

“What would Jaro Tapal say?”

“You have no right to mention his name!” Cal bellowed, his resolve returning. 

“I wonder,” Trilla continued, unswayed. “What would he think if he could see his padawan now?” She reached out once again with the force, grabbing Cal by the neck and pulling him to the gate so that her face was an inch from his. He struggled. “Skulking around in the shadows with a betrayer, gaining her access to a legion… of impressionable students.” She closed tighter on his airway, keeping his eyes level with hers.

Cal managed to force himself out of her grip, gasping. “No. I won’t let anyone touch them,” he growled. He brought himself face-to-face with her again.

Another smile played across Trilla’s lips. Cal felt an odd sensation in his stomach. She then turned, pulling her discarded helmet to her as she walked away. “I thought the same thing once,” she replied.

Her words echoed long after her departure. Cal found an undisturbed crate and sat on it, mulling over the encounter. She could have killed him, even with the lasergate up. She was much stronger than him with the force. Yet, she walked away. Her behavior gave Cal the chills. She seemed to have as sort of fascination with him, and it made him feel confused and angry.

Cal turned to BD-1, motioning for him to climb up his back. Silently, he carried out his task of finding the tomb.

After a good while, still lost in his thoughts, he finally found the entrance.

“Thanks for your help back there, beedee. You saved my life,” Cal said fondly to his companion. BD-1 chirped back his own gratitude to Cal. “And, it got us closer to the tomb.”

Cal crawled through a small opening and found his goal at the end; the tomb of Mikrtrull.

“This one feels… different than the other tomb,” Cal commented. Though, it could have been his encounter with Trilla making him feel that way. 

“Bee boop?” BD-1 asked

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Cal responded. He approached the tomb, looking for a way in.

Cal’s comm crackled to life but it was only static. He tried to respond that he’d found the tomb, but wondered if there was too much interference. “Cere, wh didn’t you tell me?” Cal said quietly, his thoughts still on the inquisitor.

“Because she’s a liar,” Trilla’s smooth voice responded. 

Cal almost jumped. “You! How?” he demanded.

“I rerouted communications the moment you tried to contact her. Slicing encrypted transmissions was always a past time of hers. She taught me once. There’s no technique Cere has that I haven’t perfected.”  
  
Cal didn’t want to hear anymore. White-hot anger was threatening to cloud his judgement. He wanted to smash the comlink into the stone, but stopped himself. BD-1 was anxiously dancing around Cal’s feet, looking up at him. 

“You’re running out of time,” Trilla taunted through more static.

Cal grit his teeth, making his way along a rocky path to his goal. “For what?” 

“My scouts located an artifact of interest at the rear of this tomb,” Trilla responded. “Even now I’m studying it, learning its secrets. It seems Cordova was rather taken with these Zeffo. Perhaps enough to hide the holocron amongst their bones.” Her voice sounded sweet, and Cal had to tear his mind away from imagining her face.

“Yeah, we’ll see how much you learn,” Cal spat back. He shut off the comm and holstered it in his belt. He stood in the quiet underground, his mind racing. She knew almost too much, and was using it against him. But what was the truth? And why had she let him live?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you think of another scene you'd like expanded. Don't' forget to read the others in this series!  
> Man, at this point I'm going to end up novelizing the entire game.


End file.
